Thousands of Christian Evangelists marched in a parade in the center of Jerusalem, marking the Jewish holiday of Sukkot or the Feast of the Tabernacles. October 20, 2016. ( Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) finished up its 37th annual week-long Feast of Tabernacles conference with the Parade of Nations last Thursday in a multinational outpouring of love for Israel. Approximately 4,000 Christians from some 90 nations paraded through Jerusalem, some dressed in their country’s traditional costume, others wearing clothes reminiscent of the Jewish Temple.

Thousands of Christian Evangelists wave their national flag alongside the Israeli one as they march in a parade in the center of Jerusalem, marking the Jewish holiday of Sukkot or the Feast of the Tabernacles. October 20, 2016. (Sebi Berens/Flash90)

The parade is indeed a special opportunity for Jews and Christians to bond in the city both religions consider holy. Gifts are freely exchanged and candy, the international language of children, is handed out by the parade participants.

The Feast of the Tabernacles intentionally coincides with the week-long holiday of Sukkot, which, in the days of the Temple, was the only Jewish holiday in which non-Jews were invited and encouraged to participate in. Zechariah prophesied that in the Messianic era, the holiday would again take on an international element.

And it shall come to pass that every one that is left of all the nations that came against Yerushalayim shall go up from year to year to worship the King Hashem of hosts and to keep the Sukkot. Zechariah 14:16

Delegation of pro-Israel Christians from Boliva participates in the IECJ Parade of Nations in Jerusalem, October 20, 2016. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90)

This overwhelming support comes at a critical time: one week after UNESCO passed a resolution giving Islam a religious monopoly on Jerusalem and the Temple Mount. Dr. Jürgen Bühler, Executive Director of the ICEJ, released a statement in response to the UNESCO resolution, stating that the conference and parade were intended “to affirm to the Israeli public that we respect the Jewish reverence for Jerusalem and the Temple Mount, and we will stand with you in confronting this devious assault on the historic sites in Israel.”

About the Author

Adam Eliyahu Berkowitz is a features writer for Breaking Israel News. He made Aliyah to Israel in 1991 and served in the IDF as a combat medic. Berkowitz studied Jewish law and received rabbinical ordination in Israel. He has worked as a freelance writer and two works of fiction, The Hope Merchant and Dolphins on the Moon, are available on Amazon. He lives in the Golan Heights with his wife and their four children.